Asuka Sakamoto
| image = | race = Soul | birthplace = Rukongai | birthday = | age = 30 | gender = Female | height = 6'2" | weight = 154 lbs | measurements = | affiliation = V-14 Sakamoto Clan | previous affiliation = Black Blood Sect | profession = Leader of V-14 Gamma Team | previous profession = | division = | previous division = | partner = Yusuke Saruwatari Rika Nakamura Shinji Konno | previous partner = | base of operations = Soul Society | relatives = Satoshi Sakamoto (father) | education = Dove House Schooling | shikai = None | bankai = None | roleplay debut = The War of Four: The Hunter and the Hunted | series debut = Bleach: The War of Four | english voice = | japanese voice = }} Asuka Sakamoto (坂本明日香, Sakamoto Asuka) is the leader of V-14's Gamma Team and a member of the Sakamoto Clan's Dove House. She is the former mentor of Angelika Hartmann and Shinshin Fuuten as well as a master of the Tamashī no Sonshitsu (魂の損失, Soul Loss) fighting style, being famous in the Rukongai for expanding it to non-Shinigami combatants. Appearance Asuka has a typically feminine physique and is a bit tall compared to the average woman. She wears a pink kimono with scarcely numbered flower designs on it. She has brown, shoulder-length hair tried up in a ponytail, matching-color eyes, and mildly pale Caucasian skin. Whatever melee weapon she is carrying is either holstered on her back or carried by one of her more courteous subordinates. Personality Asuka, in general terms, is a calm, polite and mild-mannered individual. She interacts in a relatively positive and friendly manner towards those she meets, especially her colleagues and personal teammates. Although she commonly exudes the aura befitting of her noble status, she is not above being teasing or playful. She has a habit of playing practical jokes on her more hapless friends and talking rather enthusiastically about harmless mishaps that happened to befall them. But she doesn't do so in a hostile manner more than she does to simply lighten up an environment. In addition to her jocular and positive approach to situation, she is also a provider of emotional support and encouragement whenever needed. She behaves with more empathy toward victims and even the more pitiful adversary, never truly holding anything against them even when fighting them in combat. This doesn't stop her from verbally bickering with them and taunting them to a certain degree, especially when they are a direct enemy. Despite the grace she carries in both social status and combat, she can be rather malevolent in rare and special cases. In the event where she truly gets angry at someone, her tone becomes colder and more biting in a similar vein to Angelika's. She can become more ruthless and aggressive, driving the more careless or hesitant enemy into a state of fear. Even when she's not angry, Asuka takes enjoyment in fighting and exercising her skills. Her expressions are subtle, and it is usually only the more perceptive of individuals that see her signs. She holds somewhat of a selfish side to her; the reason she had abandoned Shinshin Fūten was because she enjoyed being in the criminal business to worry about a life-long commitment to children. It is because of this that she also holds a semblance of self-loathing, unwilling to quit delving into her darker ways and ashamed because of it. History Asuka was born as a noble of the Sakamoto Clan and a member of "Dove House", the name of the main families as a whole. As such, she was responsible for keeping an overwatch on the Rukongai as well as maintaining stability of the sectors' as well as their dojos. However, she was one of the few Dove House members that chose to inherit one of the many Tamashī no Sonshitsu dojos for the teaching and expansion of the technique alongside the Raven House members. Her personal dojo, in particular, became popular and widely-known by many. Although she was not the first, she became known as the "mother of the Rukongai" due to her teachings, gaining the moniker due to her mentor-like and motherly attitude to her students. This earned competition and rivalry from her brother Akimoto, another dojo head in the lawless Rukongai districts. One of Asuka's prominent students was Shinshin Fūten, an orphan who had been wandering the streets of the Rukongai. When Asuka found him, he was laying in a trash-filled alleyway in a half-starved condition. Horrified at the lack of proper attention, she was quick to take him in and help him recover. After said recovery, she learned that he had been abandoned by his parents some time ago. Angry at such treatment, she made the decision to raise him as her own child. Eventually, she grew to be recognized by Shinshin as his true mother. However, due to clan demand of her entering an arranged marriage, she could not keep him as her son and was forced to abandon him - an act that would hurt the both of them for years to come. .]] Another student-to-be was Angelika Hartmann, who served as an Inner Circle mercenary. The two met while Angelika was off-duty and Asuka was baby-sitting an infant. The two settled down for a conversation. While Angelika presented herself as a cold and near-sociopathic individual, Asuka's kind-hearted nature kept any hostility from delving between the two. Although the details are unknown, the talk itself would leave a lasting impression on Angelika's attitude. The two women eventually parted ways, never to see each other again until much later on. In the arranged marriage, Asuka was shocked and horrified to know that clan elders had paired her up with Akimoto (who was just as disgusted with the arrangement). At first, the two put up a grudging reluctant agreement due to their loyalty towards the clan. However, this was only a facade on Akimoto's part. Waiting until the time was near, he openly confronted the clan elders and criticized them for waiting until full maturity for an arranged marriage. Even in the face of threats of expulsion from the clan, he refused to back down from his viewpoint. His courage gave the leverage needed for Asuka to stand up to the elders as well, demanding that they let the two choose their own life partners. After heavy debate, the clan elders grudgingly agreed with the two siblings, but demanded that their suited partners become adjusted to life within the clan - something which Asuka and Akimoto agreed with. Soon after, Asuka came across Angelika again, only to find the woman in a near-catatonic depression due to the loss of her rank and prestige within the Inner Circle. Feeling saddened at the broken state she was in, Asuka took her to her dojo and helped her in a recovery that would last several months. During that time period, she was given a letter in her mail concerning the Black Blood Sect's interest in Angelika due to her veteran's status as an assassin and contract killer. She approached Angelika with the invitation, heavily supporting the idea in order for the woman to get back upon her feet. Because of Asuka's kindness and a feeling that she owed Asuka something in return for her services, Angelika relented to the encouragement. When Angelika got the necessary funding, she founded V-14 and hired Asuka to be the leader of its Gamma Team. Synopsis Bleach: The War of Four *The War of Four: The Hunter and the Hunted *The War of Four: In Touch *The War of Four: An Eagle's Cry *The War of Four: The Eye of the Storm *The War of Four: Recollection *The War of Four: Recovery *The War of Four: Crossing the Wire *The War of Four: To the Victor *The War of Four: The Precipice of War *The War of Four: Seeds of Revelation Bleach: The Cauldron of Black *The Cauldron of Black: Unite the Chosen *The Cauldron of Black: All-Out Assault Powers & Abilities Immense Spiritual Energy: Asuka possesses a tremendous amount of spiritual energy as well as immense control over it. Whenever it is exerted, its color is a brilliant blue - the common color of a Shinigami's spiritual energy. It is capable of generating shockwaves that can easily throw aside lower-level Shinigami and Souls, as well as cause collateral damage to her environment to a considerable radius. She has the clear potential to become a full Shinigami, but chooses not to due to her status as well as the fact that it would effectively ruin the point of her own teachings. Master Swordsmanship Specialist: Asuka, being a user of the Tamashī no Sonshitsu style, is an exceptionally skilled combatant when it comes to bladed weaponry. She is a formidable opponent, capable of fighting on even ground with the common master and hold her own against fighters specialized in the art of swordsmanship. She is seen wielding a variety of weapons, including (but not limited to) katanas, nodachis, wakizashis, spears, and knives. Her primary weapon of choice, however, is the katana. Seikitai Master: As a user of Tamajutsu, Asuka is able to use the exclusive ability of Seikitai. By projecting her soul to a certain location, she can effectively "teleport" to said location in less than a second. Unlike the users of other high-speed movements, the act of teleportation is true. Her ability is such that she is more than capable of keeping up with other speed masters. Immense Endurance: Though to what extent is unknown, Asuka possesses a high amount of endurance, particularly in the case of her mental state of being. She was able to withstand a psychological attack on her person by Yashin Shiyōnin and appear to be relatively unscathed, albeit clearly shaken by it afterwards. Later on in her duel with Shinshin Fuuten, she was able to take a direct hit from one of his enhanced strikes and continue fighting against him effectively, though this was contributed to the defensive capabilities of Tamashī no Sonshitsu.The War of Four: The Hunter and the Hunted However, she displayed a certain extent of above-average physical endurance in her fight with Daigomi Bandai, able to take a strike to the chest and continue fighting.The War of Four: The Eye of the Storm Battles & Events Events Battles References Category:Character